Conspicuous Feminism on Television

Abstract

In Conspicuous Feminism on Television: Gender, Power and #MeToo, Anna Marie Bautista examines how the impact of the #MeToo movement on the larger cultural discourse has not only prompted a critical scrutiny of gender and power on television, but has also leveraged its popularity to commodify both oppressed and independent women. This book delves into how the pervasive misogyny exposed by #MeToo has generated configurations of conspicuous feminism in shows like Big Little Lies, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Insecure, and The Handmaid's Tale. These fictional depictions emphasize feminist themes relating to misogyny and abuse, the silencing and deceptions that are preserved in order to uphold gendered power relations, the challenging of established gender roles and identities, and the integration of intersectional perspectives. Bautista explores how these representations indicate a more complex awareness of systemic misogyny in popular television series than in previous eras, reflecting the impact of #MeToo's aims to uncover and confront gendered inequality. Scholars of television studies, gender studies, and popular culture will find this book of particular interest.